Philippines says China’s coast guard fired water cannons and sideswiped its patrol vessel
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese coast guard vessels backed by navy ships fired powerful water cannons and blocked and sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel on Wednesday in renewed aggression at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Philippine officials said.
Philippine coast guard and bureau of fisheries vessels were on routine patrol to protect Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal when several Chinese coast guard and navy ships approached and staged “aggressive actions” after dawn, the Philippine coast guard said.
The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine vessels encroached into China’s territory prompting it to take action based on a law, which it did not specify. It said without offering any proof that a Philippine vessel maneuvered in a way that led to a collision.
“The Philippines, under the banner of fishing and protecting fishermen, carried out infringement and provocation and then reversed black and white and blamed others in an attempt to mislead international perception,” Chinese coast guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said. “We warn the Philippines to immediately stop infringement and provocation and incitement and hype, otherwise, all the consequences caused by this will be borne by the Philippines.”
The United States condemned China’s “unlawful use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers.” U.S. Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson said on the social media platform X that the Chinese maneuvers disrupted a Philippine maritime operation and “put lives at risk.”
“We condemn these actions and stand with our like-minded friends, partners, allies in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Carlson said.
China’s reported actions in the disputed waters came after a respite of more than a month while back-to-back major storms prevented many Philippine fishing and commercial vessels from venturing into dangerously rough seas.
Despite the Chinese ships’ “reckless” maneuvers, the Philippines coast guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource said they renewed their “commitment to protecting the rights and safety of our fishermen within our maritime jurisdiction.”
“We will continue to be vigilant in safeguarding our national interests in the West Philippine Sea,” the two Philippine law enforcement agencies said, using the Philippine name for the seas off the archipelago’s western coast.
The Chinese maritime maneuvers “are not standard law enforcement actions,” Philippine coast guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said, adding they “should be interpreted as unlawful aggression by international law violators.”
China’s sweeping claims cover virtually the entire waterway and overlap with the territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and high seas claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. Indonesia has also had confrontations with the Chinese coast guard, which backs Beijing’s fishing fleets.
On Wednesday, one of the Philippine vessels, BRP Datu Pagbuaya, was hit by high-pressure water fired from a Chinese coast guard ship with bow number 3302 which targeted its navigational antennas about 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) south of Scarborough, Manila’s coast guard said.
Shortly after, the Chinese coast guard ship “intentionally sideswiped the BRP Datu Pagbuaya on its starboard side” and then “launched a second water cannon attack on the same vessel,” it said.
Philippine coast guard ship BRP Teresa Magbanua “faced blocking, shadowing and dangerous maneuvers” by two Chinese navy and coast guard ships, it said. Another Philippine coast guard ship, the BRP Cabra, “was subjected to reckless maneuvers” by a Chinese coast guard ship at a distance of about 300 yards (274 meters), Philippine coast guard officials said.
At a news conference Wednesday, Philippine coast guard and national security officials showed videos of the Chinese coast guard’s use of water cannon and maneuvers close to the Philippine vessels.
The long-simmering territorial disputes are a delicate fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry in the region. The U.S. lays no claims in the waters, which are a key global shipping route, but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts are in its core national interests.
The U.S. has warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally, if Filipino forces come under attack in the South China Sea.
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Another example of what a good neighbor and totally not a bully China is. I'm sure the Winnie the Pooh cult will blame Trump for this.
This is why it really matters:
"The U.S. has warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally, if Filipino forces come under attack in the South China Sea."
Clearly this means war.
Attacking ships often leads to war. It's literally an act of war.
We will see how the Filipino government responds to the bullying. Given the power discrepancy, there's probably not much they can do. But if it keeps up, they will fight back at some point.
lets hope they handle it just like this incident.
now is this due to Trump being elected, cause you know how he is a real tuffy guy, or is it because that wimp Biden is still in office, and it would be best if he vacated it now, for the sake of all Phillipian fisherman and their rights not to be bullied by strong large water spouting Chinese coast guardians of the galaxy 500...
I guess the point of this seed is that when Trump tells China to stop messing with Filipino boats they will. He is a god-like world figure.
Just ask the Scotts
I saw some dumbass MAGA pundit on a video today. She says Biden got "us" into two wars. I think she means America is fighting on two fronts. Americas involvement on the ground in Gaza and Ukraine would probably come as a surprise to those countries.
Lol. It has nothing to do with Trump, though of course you will make it about him.
China rammed at least two ships of our ally in international waters. But, sure, tell us how Trump is the threat to peace. Shill for XI and blame Trump. Do you what you have to do.
That is how you started this discussion.
And you immediately made it about Trump, proving me right.
Wrong.
I am the one that brought Trump into the discussion.
Here's another video of another Filipino ship being rammed by today by the CCP:
Their off the rail